Key Verse: Verse 20 – “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?”
As you read the story of the rich farmer in Luke 12, you read of a family dispute over money. Jesus could have settled the family dispute but he refused to do so. The brother who came to Jesus wanted him to solve his problem, not change his heart. So it is with many today, they look to Jesus as a problem-solver, not a heart-changer. So Jesus tells the story of a farmer who many would have declared a success but Jesus called him a fool. The rich farmer knew how to make money, but had failed to learn how to live.
In 1928 a group of the world’s most successful financiers met at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. The following were present: the president of the largest utility company, the greatest wheat speculator, the president of the New York Stock Exchange, a member of the President’s Cabinet, the greatest “bear” in Wall Street, the president of the Bank of International Settlements, the head of the world’s greatest monopoly. Collectively, these tycoons controlled more wealth than there was in the U.S. Treasury, and for years newspapers and magazines had been printing their success stories and urging the youth of the nation to follow their examples. Twenty-five years later, this is what happened to these men:
The president of the largest independent steel company, Charles Schwab, lived on borrowed money the last five years of his life and died broke.
The greatest wheat speculator, Arthur Cutten, died abroad, insolvent.
The president of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Whitney, served a term in Sing Sing Prison.
The member of the President’s Cabinet, Albert Fall, was pardoned from prison so he could die at home.
The greatest “bear” in Wall Street, Jesse Livermore, committed suicide.
The president of the Bank of International Settlements, Leon Fraser, committed suicide.
The head of the world’s greatest monopoly, Ivar Drueger, committed suicide.
All of these men had learned how to make money, but not one of them had learned how to live.
What a shame!! Do you know that living for Christ is the only real way to live?
What to do:
✞ Put God first in your life and your money will follow.
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